Crimson
by Darkraiprincess
Summary: Kanako Yamamoto has a happy life in Sotoba with her brother. Everything is always quiet and at peace. But that peace is broken by the mysterious deaths ever since the Kirishiki have come along. Soon she is reborn and forced to help the Shiki in order to protect her beloved brother and family. Soon, she becomes a valuable asset to Sunako.
1. Introduction

Intro: Red

Nao Yasumori

_Three years ago, around three in the afternoon, Nao Yasumori used her bike to get to daycare to pick up her son, Susumu. Her long dark blue hair flew in the wind that somewhat feels pleasantly cool on a particularly hot day. She quietly contemplated the possibility if she should get a haircut._

_ Nao sees the daycare center and parked her bike out to the side. When she entered a little bell jingled and she couldn't help but sigh happily as she finally entered inside an air-conditioned building. She walks up to the old woman running the small daycare and signs her name and time._

_Susumu made sounds of what sounded like a space ship while playing with some of the toys with his new friend. Asuhi Yamamoto is new at not only the daycare, but Sotoba too. The three-year-olds immediately got along when they both realized they liked pretending to be space explorers. His red hair is almost orange and while short has bangs long enough to almost cover the right side of his face. One little strand stands up in the middle no matter how many times its been brushed. His green eyes resemble spring and have the uplifting attitude to match. _

_ "Susumu, your mother is here." The elderly woman called out before heading back to the front when she heard the front door bell jingle again. Susumu looks up and smiles._

_ "Hi momma, this is my new friend, Asuhi." He chirps. The little redheaded boy waves his hand goofily._

_ "Hi Susumu's mom." The boy chirped. Nao smiles, what a cutie._

_ "He's right over there." Said the old woman._

_ Kanako Yamamoto, a new resident that came to Sotoba a few weeks ago with her little brother Asuhi. To the people she talked to, they were a little shocked to hear that the three-year-old boy is some twenty-one-year-old woman's brother. She curly crimson hair reached above her elbows and is currently held in a ponytail. The two long bangs that hung off her face are the only strands not held back. She's about as tall as Nao and is wearing the same type of short clothing for this hot day too. Her brown hiking boots make the wooden floor underneath her squeak as she makes her way to Asuhi._

_ "Hey kiddo, how was your day?" she asked. Asuhi smiled and points at Susumu._

_ "This is my new friend, his name is Susumu." Kanako smiled and noticed Nao. "If I'm assuming right, you must be his mother?" Nao nodded._

_ "My name is Nao Yasumori, and you must be Asuhi's mother." _

_ "Actually, I'm his sister." Nao blinked in surprise._

_ "But, how-"_

_ "My parents had him when I was about eighteen. My sister and I thought they didn't want to have anymore and were past their date. But, lo and behold I'm a middle child." She explained._

_ "That's interesting." Nao mused and looked back at the two boys playing. "You know, they seem to get along great, maybe we can setup a play date."_

_ "Sounds good, does Saturday sound good to you?" Kanako asked._

_ "Sounds perfect!" Nao picked up Susumu who began fussing that he had to leave. "I need to get going, the heat isn't going to get better today." Kanako picked up her brother to._

_ "You're the one with the bike outside, right?" Nao nodded. "My truck is out there, you can haul it in the trunk and I can drive you and your son back to your place if you give me directions." Nao beamed at the thought of being in an air-conditioned vehicle instead of on her bike getting her legs sore. She assumed Susumu would like that too._

_ "That would be wonderful, thank you." Kanako smiled lopsided and waved off the praise._

_ "Ah, it's no problem." She said nonchalantly. Both women then started walking towards the exit._

Three years later, a now twenty-four-years-old Kanako is driving to the Yasumori's for their weekly hangout. The now six-year-old Asuhi is bouncing in his seat when he sees the familiar house and immediately unbuckles his seatbelt and run up to Susumu who is already outside waiting.

Nao has changed in the last three years. Not by much, but she had recently taken interest in hiking due to Kanako's influence. She found it relaxing as well as great exercise. She even got a recent haircut.

Kanako got out of the car last and is carrying a big backpack. She smiles at her friend.

"Hey Nao." She greets. Nao smiles and greets back.

"Are we still planning on going hiking later on? Mikiyasu said he can watch over the boys while we're gone."

"Sure am. I brought extra water bottles this time." Kanako smiles impishly. Nao rolls her eyes with a groan.

"You're never gonna let that go are you?"

"Nope." Kanako's lips pop with her smirk. "By the way, I like the new haircut." Nao smiles and runs her hand through her now shorter hair and starts tying it in a ponytail like Kanako's.

"Thanks, I finally decided I shouldn't have to suffer the heat any longer. Have you considered getting yours cut? Its pretty thick and a lot of work to care for." Kanako looks up at the sky and loosely shakes her ponytail.

"Nah, I kinda like the way it is now. By the way, do you still have that shampoo with the conditioner? I'm all out."

"I have extra bottles underneath my sink, I'll give you some extras after the trip."

Megumi Shimizu

_This sucks! I don't even want to go to a yard sale! _Megumi steams in her head. An hour ago her mother, Hiroko Shimizu, had seen a sign about a yard sale and decided to bring along Kaori Tanaka and her mother Sachiko Tanaka. The two mothers talk amongst themselves about old times while Kaori babbles on about what they might see at the yard sale.

_It's bad enough I'm forced to be with her, but my shirt is getting loose threads! _ The pink-haired girl looks down pathetically at her yellow loose-sleeved shirt and sees the fabric on the right sleeve is slowly becoming undone. She can always fix it herself, but she is running out of the fabric of the same color and might have to throw it away.

"Megumi!" Megumi jumps when she realizes that Kaori's face is right in front of hers. She frowns.

"What?" She huffs. Kaori smiles and points at the Yamamoto house with tables and chairs set out outside with a bunch of stuff and people browsing everywhere.

"We're here! Come on, before all the good stuff is taken!" Megumi stiffens when Kaori grabs her by the arm and pulls her along through the crowd. They loop through table to table until Kaori finally stops at one. The dark-haired girl squeals as she picks up some baby socks that look like smiling giraffes and holds them up to Megumi's face.

"Aren't these the cutest things you've ever seen?" Kaori's eyes sparkled. Megumi rolls her eyes.

"Whatever." She groans. She notices that her ex-childhood friend is now distracted with the baby stuff and takes this chance to slip away and lose her. Soon she couldn't see Kaori and takes that as a blessing.

"Would you look at this?" an old woman, Tae Yano, holds up an empty picture frame to Takeko Hirosawa.

"That's lovely." The other woman holds up the large wooden frame and admires the color of the bright wood.

"Grandpa! Look!" the young Hiromi Murasako chirps. He shakes a snow globe in his hand and holds it out to his grandfather.

"That's neat, do you want to buy it?" Munehide Murasako smiles.

"I can't find the price tag anywhere." Megumi's mother complains as she looks over an apron she's interested in with Nao Yasumori.

"Maybe it fell off. I'll go find Kanako and ask her." Nao offers.

"I did lose my reading glasses case, it wouldn't hurt to buy another one."

"This toaster is a little too fancy for my taste."  
"Forty? That sounds a little too high."  
"I've gave you enough money before we came here. If you want to buy it you'll have to let go of something else."

"I think this is the same cookbook my mother used when I was little."

Megumi's eye twitches. These people are no better than Kaori; they are all so lame! She storms off to a section that no one seems to be interested in and sits in a comfy wooden chair with a huff.

She thought that this Kanako Yamamoto would be interesting; she came from Tokyo for god's sake! But the more gossip she heard and the more time she spent watching, Megumi learned that she came to Sotoba because it was quiet and loves the outdoors! How could someone from Tokyo be interested in a boring old village?! She quickly lost interest in the woman.

Taking in a deep breath Megumi leans back in the chair. She might as well just stay here until her mother is ready to go. Something tickles the back of her head and simply rubs it off. When it happens again she grabs the culprit and turns around to see only to lightly gasp in surprise.

What touched her head is a cute black and white checkered dress with no sleeves and two big black buttons on a clothing rack. On the same rack is a pair of jeans with rhinestones that comes with a black belt with a rose for the buckle. Next are a few light summer dresses that look the same but with different patterns and colors. One is blue covered with sparkles; another is green with black polka dots, a yellow one has orange rhinestones at the helm, and a light purple covered with little cute flowers.

Megumi's eyes shimmer at the pretty dresses and squeals excitedly when she sees a little table covered in accessories. There are two black hair bows with a tiny skull on each knot, a pair of white-laced gloves, some shoelaces in a rainbow of colors, and a headband with an assortment of fake flowers. There is even an assortment of shoes and sandals with varying prices. They all look so cute!

"Finally." A sudden voice makes Megumi jump in surprise and looks to see Kanako Yamamoto herself. "I was wondering when someone would be interested in these clothes."

She never really met Kanako face-to-face before, but had to admit she was rather pretty. Megumi swallows the lump in her throat and looks back at the clothing when a sudden thought came to mind.

"Why are you giving these clothes away? They're so pretty I don't think I'll even get rid of them." Megumi asks curiously. Kanako just shrugs and puts her hands in her pockets.

"Well, some of this is just stuff I had when I was younger and completely forgot I even had them, the rest is just stuff that doesn't fit me anymore. So, which would you like to-" Kanako got interrupted by Megumi with an eager look on her face as she holds out her money in one hand and two dresses and some accessories in another.

"I'll take these!" she says quickly and shoves the money in an unprepared woman's hands and watches as Megumi runs off. "Don't sell the other stuff! I'll be right back with some more money!" she says so quickly Kanako barely understood her. Megumi pushes through people not caring about them and runs past her mother and Kaori holding her new dog leash.

"Megumi!" her mother calls out.

"Where are you going?" Kaori shouts out to her friend who is already speeding down the dirt road leaving a giant trail of dust.

"I need more money!" she shouts without looking back. She was in such a hurry that she didn't even notice she passed by the new kid Natsuno Yuuki and his father. Both cover their eyes and cough at the sudden dust storm.

"What the heck was that?" the father exclaims in surprise.

Motoko Maeda

This particular summer day in Sotoba isn't as hot as the others, but not by much. The people seem to not notice but seem to be in a good mood nonetheless. A mother, Motoko Maeda, and her two children, Shigeki and Shihori, are walking down the dirt road. Normally the woman would be very hesitant to try something new, but her friend Kanami talked Motoko into doing a yoga class. It sounded nice until she saw the name of who is hosting the class.

Kanako Yamamoto.

She never actually met Kanako in person, but has seen her and like every other person in the village Motoko listens to the rumors. She found out about the woman who is surprisingly the baker's, Kagura Hirabayashi, little sister. The two seem to be an almost complete opposite. While Kagura is polite and quiet, Kanako speaks her mind and openly curses. She's seen how scary she can be when mad. She can yell at the scarier people in the village, which made her on Motoko's list of people to be wary of alongside her in-laws. Kanako is more adventurous and is often seen out hiking in the forest or seen doing odd jobs. Plus, while Kagura was an outsider she has been living in the village for almost a decade now. Kanako only came from the city about three years ago. Outsiders still give Motoko major anxiety. Why is she going then?

_"You know her, right? She's one of Asuhi's older sisters?" _She remembers Kanami asking her during working hours at Chigusa.

_"His sister? Are you sure? I thought she was his mother?"_

_ "That's what everyone thought too, but she blatantly said Asuhi is her little brother."_

She knows of Asuhi, she's seen him playing with her kids at school. That somewhat gives her ease. So why is she taking her children with her? Motoko looks at the flier in her hand.

_**Yamamoto Yoga Classes**_

_Mon, Wed, & Fri at 9:30 am – 10:10 am_

_Dress in comfortable clothing. Drinks and snacks will be provided and children are invited for play dates._

The rest just goes on about how good yoga is for the mind and body as well as Yamamoto's number and address.

"There! I can see Asuhi!" Shihori points at a house down the road. Motoko looks up from the flier and sees a lovely house with a big backyard. She instantly recognizes Asuhi in the sandbox making a sandcastle with Susumu Yasumori and Chika Murasako while her older brother is going down a big slide with his mother and Kagura keeping watchful eye over all the children. Kagura then hurries off to a tree when a child asks for help getting down.

The baker shop owner doesn't look that different from her little sister. Both have crimson hair, but Kagura Hirabayashi's is a darker shade of red and held in two buns and looks a little older because she is the eldest Yamamoto.

Motoko silently muses how lovely the yard; there are so many lovely trees. Her eyes widen and her heart rate picks up. The Yamamoto's house is just in front of the forest and no fences. There are wild dogs out there! One could just easily run up and snatch-

"Hi Shihori! Hi Shigeki! Hi Mrs. Maeda!" Asuhi chirps when he sees the three.

Before she can stop her children, they ran to the backyard to play with the other children. Motoko raises her hand to stop them, but puts it back down and tries to catch up with them. She then sees Kanami at the entrance talking to Nao Yasumori. Kanami notices her childhood friend and smiles.

"Hey, you came! Great timing too, class starts in a few minutes." She leads Motoko inside before she could say anything to her kids.

The inside of the house is quite roomy. The main living room doesn't seem to have any furniture; Kanako must have moved them to have her classes. Motoko can see the outside yard thanks to the large window sliding doors; she can use that to watch her kids. Several mats lay in rows and have enough space to walk through. At the sliding glass door is a single mat Motoko assumes is for Ms. Yamamoto who will teach the class. Most of the people who came are young women like her or the elderly like Kanami's mother.

She then notices that Kanako exits from another room wearing a tank top and some loose shorts. She walks over to the mat facing everyone else's. Her face is worn out and has some small bags under her eyes. Has she been sleeping well? Despite her look Kanako smiles brightly at her class.

"Alright everyone, pick out your own mat and stand in place facing me." She announces. Everyone does just as they're told; Motoko picks her mat beside Kanami that gives her a nice view of the outdoors. She sees Shigeki laughing and chases Ritsuko's dog Taro with a tennis ball in its mouth.

"We'll begin with the mountain pose to let you become familiar to the ground you're standing on. Put your feet together and push down your toes as you spread them out. Draw in your abdomen with each breath through the nose and out the mouth." Kanako instructs.

Motoko does as she's told. So far it isn't so bad. She looks out of the corner of her eye to see Kanami doing the same as she is. She looks back outside and sees Shigeki finally caught Taro and is trying to wrestle the tennis ball out of his mouth. What if the dog bites him?

"Next, we will begin the triangle." Kanako interrupts Motoko's train of worried thoughts. She looks back outside to see her son holding the tennis ball and throwing it for Taro to catch. He didn't get bit.

"Lift your dominant leg apart not too far, but not too close, try to challenge your body. Stretch your dominant hand out to your ankle, shin or knee, but if you can't reach either then try your best. Now lift your other hand to the ceiling and look up."

Motoko does just as so and feels her muscles stretching as she reaches for her knee. The ceiling looks nice. Must have been painted recently.

"Hold this pose for at least seven steady breaths."

Breathing in and out…

"Now, pull back your dominate leg back half a space and bring the other leg forward and return to mountain pose. We will do the triangle again leading with our opposite leg."

Shihori is… pulling on Chika's hair? Why is she doing that?!

"Return to mountain pose." Kanako instructs. Motoko blinks and looks out to see her daughter isn't pulling on the other girl's hair, just braiding it. What a relief. How could she have thought her precious little girl would do such a thing?

"Mrs. Maeda is it?" Motoko looks back at Kanako and realizes she isn't in sync with everyone else and is still in the triangle stance. How embarrassing! "Do you need my help getting up?"

"Um, no, I'm fine. Sorry, I got a little distracted." She manages to stutter out and does the same pose as everyone else.

Kanako smiles and reminds everyone to breath with in the warrior stance. Motoko makes sure she doesn't get distracted again as to not make another embarrassing scene. Her kids are fine she should be relaxing because this is relaxing. There is little tension in her that is easing up and it feels wonderful. When was the last time she felt that good? No, no overthinking, it may end the easing of her nerves.

But something else interrupts that ease.

The sound of the sliding glass door opening catches Motoko off guard and looks up. Kanako looks behind her and sees Asuhi, Susumu, and Shigeki. What's more surprising is Shigeki is holding a big crow. How? Yes, her son is able to catch a lot of things, but how could he have caught such a big bird?

"Look what Shigeki found!" Susumu exclaims.

"Isn't it awesome? I think its sick." says Asuhi.

Motoko looks at Kanako and sees her struggling to put on a face that is in awe, but is mixing with concern.

"Yeah, that is cool, but if it is sick you should probably let it go, its family will take care of him and they must be worried why he isn't home yet." She calmly reasons so the boys would listen. Shigeki scrunches his face and shakes his head.

"I picked him up and he didn't try to fly away. See?" Shigeki opens his hands and the crow immediately takes off. The room erupts with screams as the crow caws and flutters around aimlessly at people. That is when Taro hears the commotion and runs inside tracking in dirt and chases the bird barking adding more confusion.

"Taro! No! Bad dog!" Ritsuko calls out and tries to catch her dog, but he's a fast little guy.

Motoko is the only one still as she watches the chaos around her with a blank look as the crow perches on her head.

Tomio Ookawa

"Yamamoto! Quit daydreaming and get back to work!" the elder Ookawa shouts.

"Sorry sir." The redhead says almost exhaustedly. She puts used glasses in a washing bin.

Ookawa huffs and gets back to serving drinks to his customers. What is with her today? Normally Yamamoto is wide awake and ready to work, but today she's acting like his useless son on his worst day! She's one of the best workers here and she isn't even a fulltime employee! She just cleans the tables and washes the glasses. The only reason why she was hired is because one of his employees had to leave Sotoba temporarily for a relative's wedding. The old man was even considering firing the guy when he gets back because he doesn't work as much as Kanako.

But now he is reconsidering.

Ookawa train of thoughts comes to a halt when he hears glass breaking. Did she break his glasses?! Oh she is out of here now!

People talk in surprise and circle around an area.

"WHAT'S GOING ON NOW?!" Ookawa yells.

Atsushi looks up at his father.

"Kanako just passed out!" he yells.

One of his other employees, a skinny little man name Muramatsu, runs into the kitchen and hurries back with a bag of ice.

"She's burning up!" he says worryingly.

Ookawa's wide eyes somehow grew bigger as he pushes people out of his way to see Yamamoto is on the floor unresponsive and an ice pack on her forehead.

"I'll call the clinic! Atsushi! You and Muramatsu take her there pronto!" the old man orders.

"I-I saw Ozaki at the grocery store not too long ago, he might still be there." Muramatsu offers meekly. He flinches when his boss looks at him.

"Then what are you waiting for?! GO GET HIM!" his voice shakes the whole store. The little man squeaks in fear, but follows his boss's orders.

"The rest of you back off! Give her some air!"

A crowd of people from outside start gathering at the entrance wondering what the old man is yelling about this time. Sure, he yells just about everyday, but this time seems different.

Toshio Ozaki

"I still find it weird to see a doctor smoking." A pale Kanako smirks as Ozaki enters his room. She woke up a few minutes ago in the clinic to her surprise and the first thing she saw was the doctor smoking outside on the gazebo.

"Get a job like this and you'll understand the stress that comes with it." He retorts. He looks back at his papers with a more serious face. "I think I know what made you pass out. But I can't tell for certain so I'm gonna ask you a series of questions, try to answer them as best as you can. Understood?" the woman nods.

"Have you been experiencing insomnia? If so then how long?" Kanako's face scrunches as she thinks.

"Yeah actually. For a week or so."

"When you're out jogging or hiking did it feel like lately you've been unable to go farther than you used to?"

"Kinda, yeah."

"Have you been having trouble remembering things?"

"Yes."

Ozaki frowns in worry.

"One last question. How many hours do you normally spend working?"

Kanako is quiet.

"About… maybe 75 hours give or take." She finally admits. The head doctor's eyes widen in shock. Just as he thought.

"This is the first time I've heard of someone who works that many hours a week. You've been overworking your body to the point of exhaustion."

It makes sense. He's seen her just about everywhere is Sotoba. Whenever he is outside he counts how many times he's seen her like some game of Where's Waldo. She's over there at the grocery store repainting the outside. She's at the Tashiro Bookstore organizing books on one section while Tashiro does another. She's cleaning tables at Ookawa's liquor store. She's trimming the branches off of trees and bushes at the Temple. She does all sorts of jobs around Sotoba. When news spreads of work needed she's the first there. A hard worker anyone in Sotoba can appreciate.

"But that can't be right, I've done work like this for a while now. Sure I get tired, but that's what happens when you work!" she exclaims in disbelief.

"Kanako, I maybe the director of the clinic, but even _I _don't work as long as much as you do."

The redhead just looks in disbelief and slumps down in her bed.

"Now then. I waited for you to wake up so I can ask you if it will be alright if I can take a blood sample." Ozaki asks patiently. Kanako immediately tenses up.

He suspects that would happen. About a week or so ago she and her brother were scheduled for a checkup and discovered they were late for their vaccination. He was surprised how mature the boy acted. He willingly gave him his arm and looked away when the needle went into his skin. He offered him two lollipops for being good to his delight.

Kanako… She was afraid of the needle and bruised the hand of one of his nurses. Ozaki teasingly offered Ms. Yamamoto only one lollipop. Her sour look was priceless, her brother laughed as he pointed it out. She took the lollipop anyway. But maybe he shouldn't have done that. The moment his back was turn he felt something thrown against the back of his head. It took a while to get a sticky green lollipop out of his hair.

"Its alright. Lets discuss what we should do with your new schedule. You're sister is outside waiting to take you home when we're done."


	2. Chapter 1

Kanako's alarm clock goes off showing it is 6:00 am and her hand reaches out from under her blanket and automatically turns it off. Slowly, she sits up and pulls her blanket off revealing a giant messy mop of red hair. After unsuccessfully blowing one of her bangs out of her face, she gets out of bed and gets ready for her shower.

It is a quick shower; she needs to get dress, wake up Asuhi, make breakfast, and drive him to school. After wrapping her wet hair in a towel Kanako opens the drawers and grabs the first shirt she sees, a yellow tank top, and opens another drawer to grab some jeans.

Today will be an easy day, doctor's orders.

"_You've been overworking too many times, your body can't handle such stress. I suggest you take at least two weeks off and come back to see me. We'll try to work out a more manageable working schedule." _Ozaki told her

She's never thought of it before, but she does work a lot and it has been taking a toll on her. But she likes to keep her hands busy; it's a great feeling to work for some extra hard-earned money. Even if it means working at least 75 hours a week… Yeah she has a problem, but its all for her and Asuhi's future. She has enough money to pay for his college education, but what if something happens? What if he does decide to go to college but wants to switch majors and take a few more years? What if he has a terrible accident? What if he has a learning disability? These questions have plague Kanako for so long ever since she decided to take responsibility of her little brother.

_Maybe it won't be that bad. Like Ozaki said, it's for my own good. _She tries to think optimistically. Normally on school days like today Kanako would be seen around Sotoba looking to do temporary jobs, but today she will be absent.

_I can just do some yard work as long as I don't do too much._

Kanako secures her towel on her head, as she open's her little brother's room and flicks the lights on and off.

"Asuhi, its time to wake up. You need to get ready for school." Kanako smirks when she hears Asuhi groaning. "Come on, up, up!" she claps until the boy gets out of bed.

"I'm awake…" Asuhi mumbles, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. His hair is no better than her bedhead morning hair.

"Get dressed and ready. I better not come back and see you in bed." Kanako closes the door and walks to the kitchen to make breakfast. Today is Pancake Day, Asuhi's favorite. It takes a while to make, but it is worth it. Recently, Kanako has been trying to get her brother to eat more healthy foods. She has been making some progress. Although he refuses to eat blueberry pancakes, she's started juicing the little fruits and mixing it in the batter. He doesn't even notice the difference.

"No blueberries, right?" Asuhi asks suspiciously after he got dressed in his school uniform.

"Check for yourself." The redhead smiles with her back turn as she listens to the clinking of a fork tearing apart a fresh pancake.

After breakfast, the two spend time in the living room watching TV until Kanako's watch goes off telling her to get going. She decided to not tell Asuhi about what happened to her to not cause alarm.

It is a long drive, she almost unconsciously thinks to go over to the Yasumori house to pick up Susumu and take him to school with Asuhi. However, they recently got a car and can do it themselves as they have for the last week.

The little school comes into view and she sees Mikiyasu leaving in his car. He waves at her as he passes her. She stops outside the school and unlocks the doors for Asuhi to get out. He practically jumps out and races Susumu inside.

The wait for the poppies to bloom is greatly anticipated amongst the artists and flower enthusiasts in the village. They never had poppies until Kanako came along. Before she bought the house the area behind it was almost bare with little grass growing. She planted the poppies because they were her mother's favorite and she may even sell some. She doesn't technically own the area, but considers it as part of her property.

Right now, the field is just green and no amount of Kanako's staring will make them grow faster. She leans against the squeaky lawn chair and watches the clouds go by. Funny, she never realized she even owns lawn chairs, but they were in her garage this whole time. She has watered every plant her hose can reach. It didn't take as long as she hoped.

"At least its still beautiful." She says to herself.

Even without the poppies blooming, the bright green surrounding the house is a spectacular sight. A couple of doves are cleaning themselves in a birdbath while some sparrows are indulging in some birdseed she places out everyday. Random trees thick and old are sprinkled everywhere. Apparently the last owner didn't do a good job caring for their yard. When she first saw the trees their branches were so overgrown they sagged to the ground. She first considered cutting all the trees until three-year-old Asuhi pointed in excitement at the trees. He never really saw trees back in Tokyo. She only trimmed the branches to a more manageable size.

"And now I'm bored." She frowns and her fingers twitch anxiously and tap her foot. Perhaps she can hang out with Kagura… no then she'll try to convince her older sister in letting her help bake. She looks at the sky again and raises her arms in exaggeration.

"If you're really up there you can at least give me something!" She calls out.

Just then the phone inside rings.

Kanako looks bewildered at the sliding glass door and the sky and bolts inside full of adrenaline. Finally! Something to do! She eagerly picks up the phone and composes herself. Don't want to sound crazy.

"Yamamoto residence." She answers casually. Her heart is still thumping.

"This is Kanami from Chigusa."

"Kanami! What can I do for you?" Kanako can always count on the owner of the Chigusa restaurant for some work when no one else needs her assistance. Sometimes it isn't even that complicated. Waiting on tables, clean dishes, help make the food, that sort of stuff.

"Do you remember when you signed up to work outside Chigusa? Putting in new gravel, repainting the building, uprooting the grass, that kind of stuff?"

She did not like where this is going.

"Yeah? What about it?" she asks wearily.

"Well, I've heard about you fainting, my mother and I want to make sure you're feeling alright."

"I'm doing fine, thank you."

"That's great. Well, Dr. Ozaki called me and told me you shouldn't come over," Kanako's eye twitches, "He said you need as much rest as possible and I have to listen. I hope you understand."

Kanako glares at the wall in front of her.

"…Yep." She answers dryly and ends the phone call. She goes back outside and plops in her lawn chair with a huff. She looks up at the sky. "Guess you get bored up there too, huh?" She asks in a deadpan tone.

With nothing to do Kanako decide to take a little nap in the warm sun.

She never realized how long it actually takes for school to end. Turns out a few hours is a long time! When Kanako's watch goes off she eagerly rushes to her car and drives off to the school. She is the first one to arrive.

"Whoa! What happened to you?" Asuhi asks as he gets inside the car.

Kanako looks at her brother with a deadpan stare in the rearview mirror. Her whole face, arms and chest are sunburned. Turns out she slept a little too long in the sun.

"I don't wanna talk about it." She grumbles.

It takes a day for Kanako to snap. A. Day. She drove to Ozaki's, who was in a pretty good mood, laughed his ass off seeing an irritated redhead with bright red skin.

After he composes himself she explains why she came.

"First, I need some aloe, I used the rest I had yesterday. Second, can we please discuss what I _can _do for the next two weeks? I can't go hiking because you said it would be too exhausting, I can't do anything in my yard because I already did everything not to mention did everything that needed to be done in the house, which by the way was just vacuuming and checking the water heater."

"When you told me you worked at least 75 hours, did that include work at home?"

Kanako shuffles in place as she thinks.

"I… I don't know." She admits.

Ozaki sighs. "Ms. Yamamoto, you are a very active person, but you need to be aware there are other ways to relax. You can watch a movie, read a book, anything really." He advises.

Kanako thinks to herself. She didn't have that many movies. The bookcases at home are mainly for show, but they have enough to keep her occupied.

"Can I at least continue teaching my classes?"

"Classes?"

"I'm a yoga instructor and hold classes in my home. Your wife's been at a few of them."

Ozaki recalls a memory of when Kyouko came to visit she told him she was doing some yoga, but didn't think much about it.

"Yoga is acceptable." Kanako pumps her fist in the air in victory. "You can take walks too, but not as much as you used to."

"Got it. Thank you." She turns to leave. Ozaki frowns.

"What about the aloe?" he asks.

Kanako stops and slaps her head in stupidity. She immediately regrets it feeling the searing pain of her sunburn.

"Make sure you get your sleeping schedule in order too. Your lack of sleep will make you forgetful."

After getting home Kanako starts looking for some VCRs to watch. Problem is she realizes she is short in a few. She's been digging around in her garage at some old boxes that haven't really been unpacked since she moved. She always said she'll get to it, guess that's now.

"Come on, I know there has to be some in here." She grumbles to herself.

So far she's found small books, tools and unused picture frames she could've sold at the garage sale she had a few months ago. That's it. She moves on to another box and sees an old jewelry box. Curious she opens the creaky lid and sees some old jewelry she used to wear all the time.

Like this one homemade necklace.

Kanako examines the necklace in her hand and is surprise to see three of the transparent glass beads glow red.

"I remember you used to do that sometimes." She says to herself.

It is a necklace made by a childhood friend before she moved away. They both made necklaces for each other. They were both young enough to believe magic was real and wanted to make their own but didn't want to take the time reading how to do so. It kinda worked. Turns out a few beads are able to do something. The three glass beads sometimes glow a dim red and turn very warm. Whenever she holds it in front of her they'd do that, but when she puts it on they'd stop. She later found out that it glows red and warm at certain people like her friend who gave it to her. She used to go around getting close to people to see if it would glow or not. She could never figured out what it meant.

Why did she stop wearing it? She likes it. It may not have an organized design, but it has its own appeal. She unhooks the chain and hoop around her neck. After a few attempts to reconnect the chain she finally has her old necklace back on. She smiles feeling an old part of her return. It feels nice. She continues to look inside the boxes, but doesn't find anything.

"Maybe I can just invite Nao for a movie night and have Kagura pick out a movie."

"Have you guys heard about the dead bodies?" Kagura asks the couple sitting on the sofa in the living room. In her hands are two big bowls of popcorn.

"You mean the ones in Yamairi?" asks Mikiyasu taking one of the bowls. He places it between him and his wife who grabs a small handful.

"I've heard about that, they were the only people that lived in Yamairi. With them gone its completely empty." Says Nao.

"What's this about Yamairi?" asks Kanako as she exits the bathroom wiping the water on her shorts.

"We're talking about the dead bodies the young monk found in Yamairi." Kagura says with a mouthful of popcorn.

"Oh. That was strange." Kanako says contemplatively. The three look at their host in confusion. All three unconsciously lean in closer as if they're listening to her whisper.

"What do you mean?" Nao asks curiously.

Kanako carefully plops beside her sister to not irritate her sunburn.

"From what I've heard, the last one who died supposedly been living in the same house with a dead body for days."

The Yasumoris gape in shock while Kagura looks skeptical.

"Okay hold on. Lets not forget that this place is known for gossip. How do we know this isn't just a rumor blown out of proportions?" she asks reasonably.

"Because I've heard it from one of the nurses from Ozaki's." Kanako smirks.

Kagura's eyes widen ever so slightly and her mind starts reeling at this new information. If an ordinary villager tells the rumor then it must automatically be false or blown way out of proportions, but if it's from a nurse… Just then her husband enters the household.

"I've got it!" he says a little out of breath holding up a VCR.

David Hirabayashi is the one man in the entire village that is unlike anyone else. His mother is American and his father is Japanese who met in Europe on a business trip. David is only slightly taller than his wife and sister-in-law who are about the same height. His dark shaggy hair, tanned skin, and playful yet serious personality was what caught Kagura's attention. They have been married before they've moved to Sotoba for a nice quiet life. The only thing that always get Kanako's mind turning is that he is rich, but said he used to be an amateur engineer. She knows for a fact he is too proud to ask for money from his parents, so what is it? She asked her sister once what her husband really did, but she assured her he was an engineer as well as a translator from English to Japanese and used to translate manga. The last one she can believe, but the engineer?

"That's the right one?" Kagura asks with raised eyebrow in amusement. David laughs out of breath nodding.

"What's the film called?" asks Nao as David puts the VCR in the player.

"It's an American film called, "Clue"." He answers.

"What's it about?" asks Mikiyasu.

"It's based on a popular board game with the same name. Its basically a murder mystery." Everyone seems to tense up slightly at the mention of murder. Could the people from Yamairi been murdered? David notices the uncomfortable atmosphere. "Did I miss something?"

"Oh its nothing. Where did you get it from?" Kanako asks to dispel the unwanted tension.

"We got it in America on our honeymoon." Kagura scoots closer to Kanako to allow her husband some space to sit. On a honeymoon in America, does she not know how much an average engineer makes now a day? Sure, Kagura has a successful business as a baker, but is that enough to add up to being able to go to America?

"Wait. Are we going to be able to understand it?" Kanako asks in concern. She doesn't know any English and doubts her friend and her husband knows either. She tried learning once, but it was awful. Every word seems to have more than one meaning and all the rules are too confusing! Who can even learn how to use such a complex language? Apparently David can and soon after Kagura started doing some. Kanako swears Kagura and David speak in English whenever she's around just to keep her from eavesdropping. Cheaters!

"The movie has subtitles. When can pause the film too if there is anything you guys want to clear up." David offers. Nao and Kanako lighten up hearing this.

"The boys are in Asuhi's room, right? This isn't really a film meant for them."

"They're playing in his room, they'll be alright." Kanako assures.

_The movie starts with a trumpet of sorts and a man in a suit exiting a car. He gives the guard dogs a treat to stop growling at him._

"What kind of dog is that? I've seen one like that before." Nao asks.

"That's a German Shepard, they're a popular breed." Says David.

"A lot of policemen in America use them. Apparently you're not suppose pet them when on duty." Says Kagura.

"Yeah, Kagura found out the hard way." David chuckles.

"Remind me to ask about that story later." Kanako smirks at a glaring Kagura.

_The man stops when he steps in something and glares at the dog that looks at him innocently._

"I kinda want one now." Nao coos at the innocent face.

Kanako gets comfy and watches the movie. Sure enough the subtitles help clear up the language barrier. This is actually turning out into a nice occasion than she thought it would. Everyone is laughing and asking David and Kagura some of the unclear subjects like why the maid talks in a different accent. Some of the English words sound like it is just one word per sentence, but Kanako is able to get some words, even if she doesn't know what it means.

_Butler. But-ler. _She giggles. What a funny word.

Nao and Mikiyasu seem to like the movie as well. After having to only watch the news and childish learning videos with their son a movie with mystery and adult subjects seem to immediately grab their attention. Sure it maybe an issue to constantly look at the subtitles, but it is only a mild annoyance. So far Nao's favorite character is either the butler, named Wadsworth because of his accent and manners or Mrs. Peacock because of her role as a politician's wife. Mikiyasu on the other hand is more into Colonel Mustard due to his hilarious lack of awareness and making a fool of himself. Both are enjoying the foreign movie.

_"You can't get out that way." Warns Wadsworth._

_ "Why not? Its only glass!" says Mr. Body as he is about to smash a glass window with a brick. Suddenly a scare big Doberman jumps up and barks angrily at Mr. Body._

"Rah!"

Everyone scream in surprise. Nao grabs her husband, David chokes on a popcorn kernel, and Kagura accidently pushes Kanako off the couch landing on red shoulder on the floor, hissing in pain.

"Kagura!" She reprimands.

"Hahaha! I told you we'd get them!" giggles a voice.

All the adults turn around and see Asuhi and Susumu laughing like hyenas in handmade monster masks. Both wear paper masks of their own drawings and showing off fake fangs in their mouths.

"What are you two doing?" Mikiyasu asks trying to calm his heart rate, but still chuckles at himself for being so scared.

"I knew that you were going to watch a scary movie, so Susumu and I thought we can scare you at the perfect moment." Asuhi explains still giggling.

Kanako sits up rolling her eyes.

"Alright, you got us." She admits in mock defeat.

The boys cheer in victory and retreat back in Asuhi's room while the grownups continue with the film.

The rest of the night went on the same. Some questions are asked and answered, everyone laughs at the funny bits and minds blown at the big reveal. A few times they had to chase out the boys who attempted to scare them again. This isn't what Kanako normally does on school nights, but turn out better than expected.

One of the best things about living in a small village is that there is an expected schedule to follow everyday with only a few minor changes. Back in the city Kanako had to worry about traffic that would make her late for jobs. Another is how tightly knit the people here are. It used to take forever to get close to even a next-door neighbor in Tokyo. Here she is able to talk to people with ease without them constantly looking at their watch. Plus, the gossip can be enough to satiate some curiosity.

"You alright Kanami? You look awful." Says Kanako as Kanami gives her breakfast. Earlier in the morning Kanako had to rush things because her alarm clock didn't go off and woke up very late. She didn't even take a shower or make food for herself just to be sure her brother wasn't late. They barely had enough time. She decided to stop by Chigusa's for breakfast. At least her sunburn isn't hurting anymore.

"I just didn't get enough sleep last night thanks to the new people." Kanami gripes with a yawn.

Kanako and a few of the other customers look up from their food in interest. New gossip has arrived.

"New people?"

"What did they have to do with you not sleeping?"

Kanami falls for the trap and answers everyone's curiosity.

"Last night at two in the morning of all times this guy parked a moving truck outside and honked his horn waking me and mom up!" Some look at Tae for confirmation. She nods. "I had to scream at the guy to quit it, and he came out all nervous and asked if he was in Sotoba. He couldn't see the tiny signs in the dark."

"Are they moving to Yamairi?" Kanako asks. If the new people did then they would be isolated from the whole village with no one else living there. They would become a huge source of attention.

"Nope. Turns out they are moving to Kanemasa."

Kanako blinks in surprise. Kanemasa? Isn't that the castle looking mansion that doesn't belong in Sotoba but was built anyway? They must be loaded to afford a place like that. David and Kagura probably couldn't afford a place like that! They must be people who think are better than everyone else just because of their wealth.

"Did the guy say what the family's name is?" she asks.

"Yeah, I think he said they were called the Kirishiki." Kanami shrugs.

"Kanako, you're from Tokyo right? Does the name sound familiar?" asks an old woman named Takeko Hirosawa.

Kanako thinks for a moment. Kirishiki? Nothing comes to mind. Did she just ask just because she assumed everyone knows everyone in the city like everyone in Sotoba does?

"Not that I'm aware of. They are probably just a wealthy family. We should probably assume more people would be visiting Sotoba."

Everyone looks at Kanako is confusion.

"What do you mean?" one asks.

"Think about it. An incredibly wealthy family attracts all sorts of media attention and if they found out they are now living in a place like Sotoba I bet they'll come snooping around." She explains taking a sip of her water. The people statically talk to one another.

"More people could come to Sotoba?"

"There will be cars everywhere!"

"I should spruce up my shop a little."

"What if they won't go away?"

"Tourists can help bring in more money for business."

Kanami thinks to herself. Chigusa recently got new gravel and a paint job. Perhaps she should have some flowers and bushes put in to brighten up the place. Kanako also gets into the mindset imagining how much business she'll get in her yoga classes. Maybe she can earn enough to buy her own building for classes instead of always doing them at home? The positive thoughts of having more business brings a smile to her face as she takes a bite out of her egg.

A day has passed and by now everyone in Sotoba knows about the new people of Kanemasa. They've also heard the possibility of tourism being introduced to the village, which brought in mixed results. On one side consistent in many of the shop owners are ecstatic of more income and using the money to improve business. The other side consists of those with the more old-fashioned views of the village who believe city folks would change traditions kept by many generations. They also believe that they are going to be rude and lack common manners.

"Hey! _I _came from the city." Kanako gives an accusatory look at the grocery clerk. The man raises his hands up with an awkward look.

"Well not you, Ms. Yamamoto." He tries reasoning.

Kanako keeps the same look with a red brow raise. The clerk blinks in confusion until the he understands why she's still looking at him like that.

"Oh! And your brother and sister and her husband aren't like that either." He appeases. Kanako smiles sweetly. The clerk inwardly sighs and gives the woman her bags. "Have a good day Ms. Yamamoto." he calls out.

"You too." She says not looking at him. She pushes the doors with her shoulder which is now doing fine. As soon as she left the store she can feel the three very warm glass beads cooling down. She's been wearing it ever since she rediscovered it. She keeps it hidden under her shirt to avoid people asking questions. The three beads have been glowing and not glowing to several people now. She hasn't been keeping track of who they've glow to, even though there is a part of her deep down that wants to find out.

She looks both ways before crossing the street and heads home. It may take her a while to walk to the grocery store and back, but walking is one of the few things Ozaki said she could do. Besides, a fifteen-minute walk isn't that big of a deal.

"They had a truck, an expensive car and another car." She listens to Takeko who gossips with one of the farmers doing his rounds on his tractor.

"Oh yeah? Do they have a tractor?" He chuckles.

If Kanako had taken her car she would've miss everything else happening around her. She likes the feeling of the blowing wind cooling her sweating skin and listening to the people gossip. Everything has a story to tell.

"Wait! Megumi!" she hears a girl calling out to a pink haired girl who stomps up the hill. She pays them no mind and continues her trek home. So far nothing has disturb the peace Kanako has fallen in love with. Sure the new people in Kanemasa caused a stir, but nothing more. She will have to be prepared if more people from the city come over to Sotoba. New people, a probability of change in schedule, but nothing major.

The sudden loud banging on her front door disturbs Kanako from her blissful dream, which she now forgets what it was about. Her bedroom door opens revealing a sleepy Asuhi with bedhead.

"Someone's knocking." He mumbles.

"I hear it." She grumbles and gets out of bed to confront the one responsible of waking her and her brother up. "Who the hell knocks on people's door at night? This better not be another family lost like with Kanami." She gripes. She stomps the whole way to the front entrance and opens the door. She had prepared for reprimand the idiot, but is thrown off by the urgent looks of Mr. Shimizu and two other men with flashlights.

"Ms. Yamamoto I know it's late, but this is an emergency!" Mr. Shimizu bows in apology. Kanako blinks in confusion and rubs all the sleep out of her eyes.

"What's the problem." She asks seriously.

"My daughter, Megumi, she hasn't been seen all day and hasn't return home yet. Have you seen her at all? Even a glimpse would be helpful!" the father practically begs.

"Megumi?" A memory comes up from earlier in the day. "Isn't she the girl with long pink hair?" The man's face lits up and nods his head.

"Yes! That's her!"

"I remember seeing her going up the hill to Kanemasa."

"Mr. Shimizu!" a voice calls out. Everyone turns to see Mr. Yuuki along with one of the volunteers of the clinic. "We called the Tanakas. Their daughter said she remembered seeing Megumi going up to Kanemasa."

"That's what Yamamoto told us." Says the man next to Shimizu. Kanako face gets tenses; a child is missing. Her mind is instantly set on going out to find her. She'll be damn if she won't provide help to the same people who will no doubt help her if her brother went missing.

"I'll get dressed and help search." The men look at her startled.

"We already have enough men out helping…" says Mr. Shimizu before getting cut off.

"But how many of them know the layout of the land? I know these woods like the back of my hand. A person with experience would help immensely." She sternly reasons and dares any of them to stop her. One does and voices his concern.

"But aren't you still suppose to be at rest?" He asks. Kanako stomps her foot in a huff startling the men.

"That doesn't matter to me now, there is a child missing!" She almost yells. Mr. Shimizu is startled by the display but inwardly appreciates the gesture of her helping find his daughter. "Just give me five minutes to get dressed and get my emergency kit." She tells in a softer voice and rushes inside. A part of her is celebrating while she puts on her favorite hiking boots. They're cold from not being used for quite some time. She is so busy tying the laces she didn't notice Asuhi walking in her room.

"Kani?" He asks using the nickname he uses for her in private. "What's going on?" Kanako nearly jumps in surprise at the sudden voice. Her gaze softens when she say it is only her brother.

"Everything's fine, someone just got lost in the woods and I'm going to help find that person." She reasons.

"Do you have to go? What if you get hurt?" Kanako sighs and bends down to Asuhi's level balancing on her front feet.

"Big sis needs to go because she knows everything about the woods. The people need my help. I can never get hurt, you know that." She reasons and hugs him. "I will come back." She assures. She gets back up and grabs her backpack putting in more supplies than usual in.

"I know something bad happened to you." Asuhi says with a frown. This briefly stops the packing but returns to normal progress. "I know you aren't doing stuff. You were acting so tired then you've been acting like nothing's wrong. I know you didn't want to tell me because you thought I would worry. You shouldn't have done that, it makes me worry." The packing slows down again. "But you can't go!" he shouts. Everything she needs is in. Kanako zips up the backpack and puts it on and looks down at Asuhi with a sorrowful look.

"I'm sorry I kept this from you. It was selfish of me to do so." Asuhi doesn't change the look on his face and tries to argue but his sister holds out a finger silencing him. "But this is an emergency. I'll be back as soon as I can and I promise you I won't hurt myself. For now just go to bed and get some sleep." She calmly orders. Asuhi thinks it over and nods. He reluctantly returns to bed.

"This area has some pretty steep and you can get hurt. Megumi may have fell and broke something. I have some rope for those who want to go down. I've marked safe areas from previous hikes in the trees with orange tape. You can see them even in the dark if you light goes out." Kanako yells out. She tries giving out more instructions until she and everyone else in the area see Mr. Ookawa simply jumps down the largest drop-off landing on his feet without any injury shaking the ground.

"Or… You can be Mr. Ookawa and do that." She stutters in surprise. She shakes her head and turns to Mr. Mutou and Yuuki. "You two are checking out the flatter areas right?" They nod. She digs in her pocket of her backpack and hands them more batteries for their flashlights and two metal whistles of sorts. "These are dog whistles. I've been told wild dogs are normally seen around there. They may not attack a group of people, but you can never be too careful." She instructs. They thank her and head off with the others going with them.

No one sees Kanako letting out her exhaustion and worry side show. It's almost three in the morning, people are getting tired and wondering if this maybe a lost cause. Kanako may not be pushing herself to the limit like she used to, but even the simple task of climbing up a hill has made her tired. Everyone knows of her overworking and has given her the excuse of not doing too much. Besides she brought handy supplies.

"Why do you even have this much stuff anyway?" Atsushi asks her. They've been assigned together.

"I've learned at a very early age that it pays off to be extra prepared." Kanako answers nonchalantly.

"Must have been one hell of an experience. What happened?" he asks genuinely curious.

"Its kinda long story. The short version is the family went on a trip, mom brought a lot of junk dad said were not needed. The rest of the week mom's been using the stuff she brought to help us. Dad never questioned what she brought with her ever again after that." She chuckles. _What was the trip again? Was it the time they were visiting grandma or was it the first time we went to Tokyo? _She daydreams.

Atsushi doesn't realize Kanako isn't following him anymore or where his feet are going. He takes one step forward expecting the crunching of leaves, but only lands on air, then dirt to the face and spinning out of control. The ride doesn't last long and he lands with a yelp.

"Atsushi!" Kanako calls out. He can see her light flashing around above looking for him.

"Down here." He groans. Kanako's head pops over the ledge.

"You alright?"

"Sure, why not."

"Good, I'll walk around down there."

"Thanks." He sits up rubbing the back of his head in pain. He reaches for his flashlight which he realizes isn't working. "Seriously? I gave you new batteries yesterday." He bangs the back of it until the light flickers back on and shines at Megumi Shimizu.

"I found her!" he yells out.

"What!" Kanako now runs down faster despite her body telling her to stop and rest. She reaches to Atsushi and gasps when she sees the girl sprawled on the ground. She bends down and checks her pulse. A sense of relief washes over her when she feels a very fast heart rate. "Call the search off and get people here!" she orders.

Atsushi frowns.

"Why can't _you _get everyone?" He's used to his old man yelling orders at him, but why should he follow a little brawd's orders? He flinches when the brawd faces him with an angry look. Her long red bangs trickle down her face like a large cut sticking to her face from the sweat.

"Do _I _look like I'm in the best condition to go running around doing all that?!" She hisses. Atsushi flinches and shuffles in place uncomfortably.

"N-no." he manages to get out. Kanako just points out commanding him to leave and he does. Kanako's face softens when she looks down at the teenager's face. She kneels down and gently pats the girl's face.

"Megumi? Megumi, can you hear me?"

"She's down there!" Atsushi calls out.

Several men came shortly after and took Megumi home. The way that girl had to be held on the way back made Kanako worry for the girl's wellbeing. Her suspicions were confirmed when Mrs. Shimizu called telling her Megumi passed away. It is that moment Kanako realizes how things for Sotoba are going to change now that a healthy child has died.

**Hope you like what I have so far. Please review and tell me what you think, they can be very helpful for me.**


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